Feeling the morning sunlight passing through my eyelids, I slowly woke up from my slumber before gently rubbing my swollen eyes. Someone then wrapped their arms around my body, and brought me closer to them.
"This warmth feels so familiar…"
I look up to see the familiar long white-hair that belongs to only one person: Mother.
She was laying down next to me on the bed—her eyes closed, and an enchanting smile on her face as she continued to hug me tightly into her arms. The longer I felt her warmth, the more I felt at peace.
I hugged her back tightly, and closed my eyes once again—hoping to stay like this as long as possible.
A knock suddenly emerged from the door before Mia entered the room, and quietly walked towards us with two other maids behind her.
Once we made eye contact, she let out a warm smile before waving at me. "Good morning, Young Master. I hope you had a pleasant sleep."
I happily nodded before mother began waking up. She slowly rubbed one of her eyes—just like I did—before letting out a small yawn.
Mia and the other maids bowed down when they saw her waking up. "Good morning, Your Grace. We will begin preparing you and the Young Master for the day.
Mother gently carried me into her arms, and nodded with a smile before getting out of the bed herself to where the changing screen was.
"I see." She then glanced at me before booping my nose. "Hopefully, we can make up for all the time we lost."
Instinctively, I nodded back with a blush. "I want to spend time with you, mother."
She chuckled, and then gently passed me to Mia while the other maids began to change her out of her undergarments.
They gently brushed her silky white-hair, and put on some slight makeup on her face to emphasize her natural beauty.
Mia also began to dress me up in the same usual attire: A blue vest over a white long-sleeve ,and black shorts.
After being changed, Mia gently sat me down on the couch before putting a blue tie ribbon on my collar, and a soft textured baby-blue bucket hat on my head.
She continued to stare at me with awe, while other maids also began to join in on the spectacle after they finished attending mother.
"You look so adorable, Young Master!"
Mother also joined in, blushing before picking me up into her arms with a bright smile across her beautiful face. "You are so cute, Lysander!"
Being treated like a child still feels awkward at times. Even now, receiving such compliments... I can't help but blush with embarrassment.
But still... I guess it's nice to finally be treated like a normal child...
Mother patted me one more time before carrying me out of the room—with Mia and the other maids following behind.
As we walked down the hallway corridor, I looked through the window and down to where the knights were training, sparing against each other, or doing some extreme exercises.
Seeing them train so intently... I couldn't help but think how weak I still am.
Yesterday, I tried to cast fire, only for it to go out of control and explode on me. But even though I failed to summon fire, I was able to gain something.
I can finally feel the wave of mana.
I continued to look at the knights that were still training before seeing some sort of fog surrounding them. The same fog that surrounded father when I first came to this world.
No... It's safe to say that this is what you call mana. Each person has a distinct mana color that represents them. The more rings a person has on their heart, the stronger the mana they emit.
I looked down at my hand, and saw a clear-white fog surrounding it.
The color of my Mana is white...
I gently clenched my hand, and slowly closed my eyes to try and recall what Leo said to me that day.
He was walking down the hallway at the time—probably heading to the training grounds to train the magicians under father. When I saw him, I couldn't help but stop him and ask questions regarding the book I read about mana.
"How to feel the flow of mana?"
Leo scratched his head and thought for a bit, trying to come up with a satisfying answer to my question.
"It's quite hard to say... Being able to feel the flow of Mana is akin to achieving the first ring around your heart. It requires long effort and patience, usually lasting months or even years..."
He then skeptically looked at me before closing his eyes.
"Just think of it as a sixth sense. It's the same as being able to identify all the single snowfall that falls from the sky before touching the ground. Feeling the breeze from every single leaf in the forest. Knowing the tremors of the earth from every footstep of every living being or knowing the current of every particle in the water in the world."
He slowly opened his eyes, looking even more serious than before.
"In order to feel mana, you must assimilate yourself with nature. All the nine elements of magic stem from the world. Of course, my previous examples are quite far-fetched. But if you can't understand the way each attribute works in the world, and how every element represents you... Then you can't possibly fathom how mana flows in the world."
I couldn't help but stroke my chin. "I see..."
He quickly took out his pocket watch to check the time. "Forgive me, Young Master, but I need to leave for the training ground. I hope that I was able to answer your question."
He bowed down before walking away in a hurry, leaving me to contemplate all that he said.
I opened my eyes, and noticed that I'm now at the dining hall. Mother gently sat me down in a chair, and then sat next to me while breakfast was being served in front of us.
Even though the sweet aroma of the food in front of me was overflowing all my senses, I slowly gazed at my open palm, and closed my eyes.
I recall experimenting with my attributes yesterday with the attribute crystal I found in the library.
By inputting mana into the ball, you can know which elements to use and what attribute you're more affiliated with. Records have shown that the maximum attribute that a person had was five.
But surprisingly, it stated that I had all nine attributes, and from the following order went my aptitude from greatest to least: Ice, Water, Light, Nature, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Fire, and Darkness.
We'll... It's mostly due to the Blessing of the Mana that I have affinity with all nine elements. It seems like one of the gifts that comes along alongside seeing and sensing mana.
I tried to summon fire, but failed to control it because my aptitude for it was one of my lowest—which led to the explosion.
I began to think about that feeling I had with Fire, but this time with Ice.
Still having my eyes closed, I slowly stretched my hand forward.
"Ice…"
It's a being that freezes everything it touches, and brings forth the season called Winter—also known as the season of death.
Yet it also brings the familiar snow that many people play with. They make snowballs, and throw them at each other to display friendship. It also creates moments of warmth as they gather around a fire, and share their beautiful stories.
But what does Ice mean to me...?
I slowly opened my eyes, and found myself in the depths of a forest filled with nothing but snow and ice. All the trees and bushes lost their leaves to store energy for the winter, but the sky was somehow crystal clear—even beautiful… that I could help but breathe in the painful and cold air.
I looked down at my hand once more, and saw my pale skin slowly turning rosy pink and numb. Before I knew it, I took a step forward, and looked at the majestic snowy forest all around.
Each step I took on the snow, it vanished without a trace. The cycle continued the more I trudged down the thick now… until I suddenly saw a frozen lake.
The dim sunlight shone through the ice, exposing the many plants and animals that still live inside it—but completely frozen.
Out of curiosity, I began walking towards the frozen lake. Once I stood before it, I gently placed my hand on top of the ice that went on to reflect my own dim face.
"Ice…"
Ice is so cold... Very cold...
It wraps around my heart... and dulls every emotion that I could never experience.
It's so cold, yet it also calms me down when I'm most afraid. It eases my pain from the world, but also locks out the beautiful moments that I cherish with those I care...
Ice... Ice is nothing more than a curse. A burden that I continuously carry...
A sin.
It drives away all my sanity and precious memories that I can never look back at...
Ice... It hurts....
The feeling of being frozen alive—unable to do or express anything I wish... is so suffocating.
The only thing I can do is helplessly wait for the time that I can finally be melted by anything, only to be let down…
With my shaking and numb hand still touching the ice, I couldn't help but gaze more at my own reflection before slowly touching the side of my face.
It hurts…
I looked up from the frozen lake, and gazed into the open field in front of me where no trees reside. In the distant view, I see a figure of a person—mumbling something over and over again.
Every time I blink, I see the same figure getting closer and closer to me. The closer it got, the clearer I could hear them. As they finally appeared in front of me, they quickly placed their hands on my shoulder before anxiously shaking my body.
"Lysander!"
I quickly opened my eyes as my name was called out, and found myself back in the dining hall. I slowly looked at my stretched hand, and saw a shard of ice floating above it.
It doesn't hurt, but it still feels cold...
To activate any sort of magic and materialize it, mana is required. Vise versa, to stop a spell requires you to stop implementing mana into it.
As the ice received more mana from me, it began to grow bigger and bigger. I immediately stopped supplying it mana before clenching my hand.
After a few seconds, I hesitantly opened my hand, and saw the tiny fragments of the same ice fall to the floor.
I then glanced at mother, who was now wearing a shocked and worried expression all over her warm face.
But just as I was about to reach for her, a sudden migraine spread all over my head.
"Cold. Everything feels so... cold."
As my vision began to blur, I suddenly began falling off my chair. But even with my blurry vision, I could see mother desperately reaching out for me before grabbing my body.
I'm sorry, mother…
I can't help feeling guilty that you must worry about the mistakes and blunders I have made during these past few days.
But...
I just want to save you...
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Immediately after the white-haired boy was about to hit the ground, the Duchess immediately grabbed him, and hurriedly brought him to the doctors and priests.
Once the doctors and priest took the fainted child from the duchess's hand, she immediately keeled over, and aggressively clenched her shirt—panting out of breath while cold sweats ran down from her face with no end.
"This excruciating pain—the depleted mana... it can only mean one thing."
Seraphina is about to be born.
The Duchess was immediately rushed towards her room, and was forced to be separated from her fainted son. But even as she was being carried away, she couldn't help but to try and reach out to him—even as the distance grew larger.
Many maids and servants stood inside and outside her room, preparing to welcome the new child. However, the Duchess continued to sweat heavily as her mana was being drained more than expected, putting her in a critical condition.
Mana is like the essence of one's life. If your mana is low… there's no telling what danger one might experience.
The Bond of Mana is heavily dependent on the caregiver's mana, and continuously drains it to help the child grow. If one's mana is close to empty, not only does it affect the caregiver's mana, but also the child within them.
The mansion quickly sprang into action as not only the white-haired boy is in serious condition, but also the Duchess.
Mia immediately took out a red crystal. The light quickly glowed, and she began speaking to the Duke—who was currently out of the mansion.
Immediately after being notified, the Duke desperately returns to the mansion. Once he arrived, he was quickly greeted by Mia, who reported the current situation.
"Thankfully, Her Grace's condition stabilized after taking a mana potion, but...." She hesitated to speak. "The Young Master... It seems he is in a comatose state."
The Duke's eyes widened with fear. "W-What...? Just what happened?!"
Mia continued to report to him the situation, and how the white-haired boy tried to cast ice magic.
The duke continued to tap his feet impatiently. "... This is bad. I was hoping to bring Isabella and Lysander somewhere safe. Today... Today is when those troops will try and invade the mansion."
He quickly clenched his hand before looking calmly at Mia. "We will have to make some changes to the plan. Please, bring everyone to my office."
Mia nodded. "Yes, Your Grace."
As the day slowly darkened, tension continued to arise throughout the mansion. Inside the Duke's office lies a lit fireplace just below the window. The Duke anxiously sat down on the grand chair, and gazed at the seven individuals in front of him.
Three of the individuals' identities are known: Mia, Leo, and Veda.
But the other four were not.
The Duke's eyes slowly focused on the two familiar robed people. With a nod, they finally took off their hoodie, and exposed a tall man and woman, who looked to be twins in their early twenties. Both have deep-brown skin with black hair and brown eyes, and similarly striking features.
The man had a horizontal scar etched in his nose as his short, wavy hair emphasized his keen features.
The woman had her hair tied up in a high ponytail—the length reaching her upper back—while a scar goes vertically near the edge of her mouth.
Underneath their robes, they carry disposable blades, combat knives, and two short blades.
The duke then looked at the much taller—and muscular—tan-skinned man with short, messy blonde hair who also seems to be in his early twenties.
His beautiful eyes blended in a mixture of green and lavender, with a slight tint of red. He carried a large hoe in his hand, and playfully smirked while nudging male twin's shoulder. Looking closer, a large scar marred his neck from the collarbone, and reached all the way to his upper jaw.
Finally, the Duke looked at the last person in the room. A familiar young woman of Mia's age wore a priest's clothing over her rose skin. Her long and wavy red-hair ran down to her lower back, while her deep-blue eyes went on to avoid his gaze.
They all stood in front of the duke, and awaited his command.
The duke slowly looks away from them, slightly feeling concerned about the current situation "... Tonight, we will initiate our plan. But I need to make some adjustments since Isabella and Lysanders are to remain in the mansion. Moving them out in their current conditions will be risky."
He quickly glanced at Mia. "You'll be in charge of protecting them. Make sure to quietly move Lysander into the room with her." He then throws her a small crystal blue gem. "Use this to cast a barrier. Make sure to protect them at all costs."
Mia nodded seriously. "Yes, your grace."
He then looks at Veda, taking a moment to think before giving his command. "... Veda. You and Leo will guard the rear of the Mansion. They will most likely use the forest to try and do a surprise attack."
Both Veda and Leo nodded.
The Duke then looks at the female twin. "Nila," he then looked at the red-haired priest. "Priya. You two are now to guard the east side of the mansion."
The female twin named Nila stoically nodded, while the priest named Priya took a deep breath to feel less nervous.
The Duke finally looks at the remaining two people.
He looks at the male twin. "Nilo," he then looks at the blonde-haired man. "Qadir. Both of you will now be guarding the west side of the mansion."
The blonde-haired man named Qadir playfully nudges the shoulder of the twin male named Nilo once again. Nilo just brushed him off—though, a hint of blush slowly filled his cheeks.
The Duke then stood up. "I will be guarding the manor's outer entrance, while the guards will protect the inner section of the mansion if any enemies manage to infiltrate the estate." He then looked at Leo. "... Will you be able to cast the magic?"
Leo fixed his glasses and nodded. "Yes. I'll be able to cast the silent magic around the mansion so the servants won't be able to hear the commotions. I also casted some trap magic to hinder and reduce their numbers."
The Duke let out a relieved sigh. "I see. Thank you, Leo."
Leo shook his head. "It was no trouble, Your Grace."
The Duke stroked his chin, trying to think of any other factors that he might've missed. "I'm still worried about some unknown variables. Especially the limited information gathered about the mercenaries who were hired by the count."
He then picked up the multitude of papers in his desk, each showing sketches of different people, with some having more detailed information than others.
One of them shows the image of a young girl with pink hair.
"This girl especially... There are few things known about her. The only thing that is mentioned is that she is a magic swordsman of the fifth ring..."
Some of the people's faces stiffened.
Mia then chimed in. "To think that a magic swordsman other than your grace appeared... Aren't their abilities superior to what their rings entail?"
The duke slowly closed his eyes, carefully thinking his words through as to not worry them. "... It is highly rare to see a magic swordsman, though not impossible. She might pose the most trouble out of all the hired mercenaries."
He then reached into his pocket, and pulled his pocket-watch out to check the time. "... The planned time is almost here. Start heading to your posts now. We can't make any mistakes like last time."
Everyone bowed before quickly leaving the room.
The Duke, however, stood motionlessly in the same spot before slowly walking towards the window. Gazing up at the bright, full moon, he then looked at the paper of the pink-haired girl in his hand.
"... It seems her wish was in vain."
He glanced at the fireplace that was still lit, and threw the same paper into the fire. He watched as the flame consumed the paper, and once it was fully submerged into the flame, he closed his eyes before quietly leaving the silent room to his selected post.
The fireplace then extinguished, leaving behind nothing but ashes.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
A magic gem can have a variety of functions depending on their color.
But the most notable one is the red magic gem. When you input mana into the shard, it allows you to communicate with people from even the other side of the world.
The cost varies, though—especially if you want shards for more than two people to communicate with. But the common ones are so affordable that even people of low income can afford it inside the Blakesty Duchy.
So it's quite obvious that the Duke, and the other seven people he met with, have the same red magic gem to communicate with each other—be it to report anything major, just like Mia did before, or just for simple communication.
But with that, the knights under the duke stood in the inner area of the manor—gazing at the Grand Duke who stood outside the gate, while the army of mercenaries ran indiscriminately to him with weapons of all kinds in their hand.
The Duke, with the tip of his swords entrenched in the ground, gazed coldly at the mercenaries before letting out a deep sigh. He then pulled the sword out of the ground, and dashed towards the incoming mercenaries in front of him before slashing and stabbing them all with no mercy.
The knights inside continued to look at the spectacle, their eyes widened with both awe and fear as the Duke they served under was overwhelming the army of mercenaries all by himself.
His aura-covered sword struck the body of mercenaries so beautifully. His movements were so refined and regal, that you can almost compare it to a dance...
In the rear area of the estate, Leo stood motionlessly in the lot with his eyes closed shut, while a gust of air and bright light surrounded him.
Soon, mercenaries entered the forest, just like the duke predicted, and a series of bombardment began to initiate thanks to Leo's trap magic. But even after seeing their comrades explode, the mercenaries continued to run through the forest until they reached the rear of the mansion.
Leo clicked his tongue. "You better protect me, you vampire!"
Veda, who stood in front of Leo, untied her red robe, and let it fly up into the air alongside the current of the wind.
She then slowly looked behind, and gazed at Leo with a smirk. "Half-Vampire for your correction. No need to be so aggressive."
A bulky mercenary closed in on Veda from behind as she continued to look at Leo.
Leo, with one eye open, flinched before shouting out to her. "Watch out!"
Veda quickly faced the mercenary, and grabbed him from the neck, cutting off his breath. "So, you worry about me. How cute~"
Leo ignored her remark and closed his eyes, trying his best to concentrate on his magic.
He has a lot on his plate—like maintaining the silent magic, or remotely activating the selected traps he casted. So he must rely on Veda for protection.
Once Veda saw him deep in concentration, she smirked once again before looking back at the mercenary she was still choking. But by that time, he was already dead due to suffocation.
The other mercenaries finally reached the end of the forest. Veda saw them and smiled to herself before flinging the dead mercenary down at the ground without remorse.
She slowly adjusted her grip, and smiled sadistically at the mercenaries in front of her. "Hmm... How long will this take?"
She quickly flicked both wrists, and flexed her fingers before the metal part of her glove transformed into a claw-like weapon.
The mercenaries flinched at the sight, but quickly resolved to fight her.
Even as they all began to run towards her, Veda just stood motionlessly—smiling sadistically as her blood-red eyes shimmered.
In an instant, Veda appeared before one of the mercenaries.
The mercenary stammered at how she moved so quickly. Veda smiled once again before slashing the mercenary's neck, and decapitated him—letting all the blood gush all over the place. The head simply rolled down on the ground before the main body also plopped down.
The mercenaries quickly realized the overwhelming power of the opponent, and hesitated to move.
But in that single moment of hesitation, dozens of them began to scream and die out as they hit the floor with either their heads gone, or their hearts pierced.
Blood spurted out from the dead bodies and into a small stream.
Leo ignored the cruel scene, as if used to it, and continued to concentrate on his magic.
Before she knew it, Veda had killed all the mercenaries in the area. She sighed with boredom before placing her leg on one of the dead mercenaries.
A dark-red aura surrounded her as she licked the blood of her claw. "I should've brought a book if I knew just how boring this would've turned out..."
In the west side of the mansion where Nilo and Qadir stationed, many mercenaries were already being killed.
A smoke bomb covered a small area, hindering the visions of the mercenaries. All of them were on guard, dared not to move. Nilo appeared in their shadows, and pierced their hearts from behind before disappearing into the shadows once again.
By the minute, Nilo continued to reduce the numbers of mercenaries. Just as he was about to eliminate another one, the mercenary quickly turned around and was about to slash him.
But even when the sword was about to slash his neck, Nilo continued to look at the motion with no emotion before jumping into the air. In that single moment, he quickly grabbed the mercenary's head, and broke his neck.
Qadir, who was also at the scene, continued to slice the mercenaries with his farmer hoe. With such precision, he slashed the vital points and rendered them motionless before dealing the final hit. With most of the mercenaries already defeated, a brief period of relaxation came across for the two men.
Nilo slowly breathed in before feeling the familiar arms of Qadir around him. He turned around, and saw just how close Qadir's face was to his. He quickly tried to look away, but Qadir gently held his chin and forced him to look straight into his loving eyes.
"It's been a while since we got together since we were both busy. How about we go for a drink later? I'm sure I can satisfy you like always~"
Nilo flinched before he looked away—though, a small blush forming in his cheek once again.
"N-Now is not the time. Let's talk later."
Qadir smiled enthusiastically at Nilo's response before slowly bringing his lips closer to each other.
"That means a yes, right? No take backs…"
Nilo closed his eyes and just sighed, neither accepting or denying his words, but willing to accept his loving gesture.
Soon, another group of mercenaries entered the lot.
Nilo quickly shrugged Qadir away before looking stoically. "Let's talk later. Right now, we need to focus on the task at hand. We don't want to disappoint His Grace."
Even though their moment was interrupted, Qadir chuckled warmly before nodding.
On the east side of the mansion, Nila and Priya were also holding off the groups of mercenaries.
Nila continued to onslaught the enemies head on, while Priya stayed on the sideline—supporting her with healing magic and small buffs.
Mercenaries who came too close to Priya were immediately impaled by a beam of light that was prepared in advance.
Nila, with her short blade, continued on to mercilessly stab the heart, neck, and head of the mercenaries while also throwing knives to impair them before dealing the finishing blow.
As the number of mercenaries throughout the mansion continued to decrease by the minute, Mia stood inside a room—guarding the white-haired boy and the Duchess who were sleeping in the bed.
Just like the duke instructed, Mia used the blue shard to cast a barrier to protect them, and just stood near the bed—with two blades sheathed on the sides—to keep guard while gazing coldly at her surroundings.
In the near window of the room, a sudden gust of the wind glided in between the leaves.
Mia continued to stand silently before quickly drawing both her swords to block the impending attack.
A pink-haired girl wearing a black robe clashed sword against Mia before she quickly jumped back. Once she landed on the ground, she gazed at Mia so emotionlessly.
Both of them continued on their standoff, staring at each other without moving a single inch. As the ticking of the clock continued on, the pink-haired girl pointed the tip of her sword to the people resting on the bed.
"Move. My aim is to kill them."
Mia scoffed before bringing her double swords in front of her. "You have to go through me first."
A pink-colored aura began to surround the pink-haired girl, while a peach-colored aura began to surround Mia.
They continued to look at each other with nothing but disdain, and awaited for the other to make their first move.
But in that single moment, the white-haired boy slowly woke up from his long slumber.